With the 2026 NBA playoffs knocking at the door, the Los Angeles Lakers look more playoff-ready than ever.
Luka Doncic is playing at an MVP level, LeBron James has bought in on a new role that's turned him into the league’s most impactful role player, the second unit is thriving, and Austin Reaves is still impacting winning despite being in a scoring slump. The cherry on top is that the team's frontcourt just passed their biggest test of the season and looks stronger than ever.
In Tuesday night's 127-113 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the tandem of Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes had their work cut out for them. They went up against reigning Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and former All-Star Jarrett Allen. It was tough of a test as any frontcourt matchup this season.
Not only did Hayes and Ayton win the rebounding battle, but they also hung in with the Cavs' twin towers from a scoring perspective, too.
Lakers’ frontcourt is figuring it out at the perfect time
In the win, Ayton put up 18 points, nine rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block on 8-for-13 shooting in just 28 minutes. Off the bench, Hayes put up four points, three rebounds, one assist, and two steals on 2-for-4 shooting in just 18 minutes. The tandem finished as a plus-19.
Compare that to Mobley's six-point, four-rebound performance and Allen's 18-point, 4-rebound effort, and it's clear LA's bigs dominated this matchup.
What really gave the Lakers an advantage in this matchup was Hayes and Ayton's willingness to be physical and fight for rebounds. Both of Cleveland's bigs are great rim protectors and typically hold their own on the glass.
However, they lack that aggressive, physical nature — especially on the boards. Ayton especially exposed this, with six of his nine rebounds coming on the offensive glass, as he consistently outmatched Allen on the glass.
The growth this frontcourt has shown this season isn't going unnoticed either. Following the Lakers' win on Monday against Washington, head coach JJ Redick had a ton of praise for the tandem.
JJ Redick discussed the strong play of Jaxson Hayes and Deandre Ayton lately, and Hayes just happened to be in the room so he had to let him know that pick-and-pop 3s will not become a thing for them: pic.twitter.com/nQ5gTYpj8j
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) March 31, 2026
When you look around the league, there are few teams with a better big rotation than the Cavs. For the Lakers centers to handle that matchup so well is huge heading into the playoffs.
The Lakers' path to the finals this season could include matchups with Alperen Sengun, Nikola Jokic, Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren, and maybe even the alien Victor Wembanyama. Those are all some incredibly talented bigs.
What the Lakers can get from Ayton and Hayes could very well determine how far they go this postseason. If Tuesday was any indication, they'll be just fine.